empty

Man, so I’ve only been here for a week, and it feels like months! I got here in the afternoon on Thursday, the 30th. A missions team from Gaylord, MI arrived the next morning. And since that time, we’ve been “catering to” the missions team. There’s been so much going on, I just unpacked my bags two days ago! Don’t get me wrong, I glad that they’re here, but it would have been great to have a bit more time to adjust to the culture and such. (Thank God that I adjusted to the time quickly. My first night, I didn’t go to sleep until 11 PM that evening, and ever since then, I’ve been on Kenyan time.)

The 7 boys in the Rapha House (Samuel, Enoch, Mohammed, Mario, John, Allen, and Farah) – I feel like they are family already. They have quickly accepted me into their household, with me moving in and Carly and Valerie moving out of the house, just one day after I arrive. With some words of caution from Car/Val, and even seeing it first hand, these boys are literally going to be a handful (which maybe a bit of an understatement). Even Rachel (the Irish who wishes she were American) thinks that I have been given too much responsibility too quickly. All I can do is rely on God for strength and endurance. These boys demand constant attention. But yet, when it comes down to it, they all have such sweet souls, and are quite funny. One example is the other night, one of the boys John was pretty sad all evening. After the Americans (missions team) left our house, he was downstairs in the prayer room. I asked him if he needed anything and he snapped at me, and told me no. 10 minutes passed before I talked to him again, and I asked if I could pray with Him. There he poured out his heart before both God and me about his concern of Mario (who was sick w/ dysentery), and also for his American team he was placed into for ministry this week. My heart sank and his was mourning over his friend who was in the hospital for treatment. These boys are just like you and me. They can look tough on the outside, but on the inside, they are just as soft and have a desire of love, just like any one of us.

All this week I’ve been constantly praying for strength to make it through the day. Strength to continue doing physical work around the house, but also mental and spiritual strength to pour into these boys, and to build up their character in all aspects. I feel as if each day, I’m so drained from talking, enjoying others, loving, encouraging, organizing, and the list goes on, that there’s no way I can do this all on my own. I think I’m starting to understand this whole process of being filled with love – being constantly filled with love because I’m pouring it out. Once the missions team leaves tomorrow, things will become a little (just a little) less chaotic.

I was reading James on the plane and here’s what he says in 1:27 – Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” What an appropriate verse for the beginning of that book.

The Lord has definitely blessed me so far, and the time the group from MI has spent here. I’ve seen multiple miracles of healing (both physical and spiritual) within and outside of our group. I’ve seen such incredible leadership given both by the boys in the house, and the group from MI. I’ve seen great growth desire in people’s walks with God. I’ve seen relationships being built, all in the name of Jesus. The Lord has also given me enough strength to get through each day, as well as an overflow of love for His people here in Mombasa. An Indian family who invited all of us over to their house for an authentic Indian meal also blessed our group yesterday.

Some prayer:

• Rapha boys – these boys have so many deeply rooted issues, and hurts and struggles that I can’t even begin to imagine. They’ve lived on the streets with a life of drugs, starvation, sexual promiscuity, no family/love, things we don’t think about because we are so blessed. These boys need constant loving and caring. Although they’re fairly well adjusted to “normal society” (i.e. – living in a house, eating 3 meals a day, having rules, going to school…), they still are tempted and haunted all the time by their past.
• continual overflow of strength, love and patience– loving on these boys is so difficult. As Jesus wants to give us the gift of life, only if we surrender, we also want to show these boys love, only if they let us. Sometimes it’s hard to accept something that you have never seen or don’t understand. Just the patience and strength to love and love and love.
• Momboxini – this is the main slum in Mombasa, where most of the boys in Rapha house come from this slum, and it’s an extremely evil place. Yesterday, when we were there, Satan took over, and fights broke out, and a mini-riot was going on – over food. Thank God nobody in our team was hurt.
• Guidance/direction and wisom – Car/Val are giving me a lot of responsibility in this house, mainly because I’m a guy, leading a house of guys. So direction on where the Lord wants me to bring these boys, and how to challenge them in their faith. Direction on where Car/Val want this house to go, and what they want to do w/ their ministry in Momboxini and other places in Mombasa. Wisdom on how to deal w/ deeply rooted issues each boy possess, and how to handle situations that I’ve never encountered.